Welcome
My name's Alex, and I program and design video games as a hobby.
My work so far targets open handhelds like the GP2X, which I think
are unique products and a lot of fun to work with. You can find
screenshots and downloads of my software on the pages listed in
the menu.
October 18th, 2008
It’s been more than two weeks since the last update… Where did those precious 15 days go? :-(
I did do bit of coding during this time though, I tried my hand on a triangle drawing function which I hope to use later on in some vectorish/3-D games for the GP2X and Co.
I will upload an updated Sqdef version 1.4A to the GP2X Archive sometime soon (with fixed sound hiss and some other minor bug fixes), along with an online manual I am currently working on. I’d still like to release Upskyway this December (or January). It’s been about one year since I started working on it, “does time go fast” indeed!
October 3rd, 2008
The Wiz will have a built-in planner software, but chances are it won’t be exactly what I’ll need. I played a bit with an idea for a very simple calendar application:
The idea is simple: show the big picture, get an instant impression of how busy each day is without going into specific details. Selecting a day with the dpad or touchscreen would zoom in and show the list of events, and open up a menu from where you can add, edit, and remove them. The shoulder buttons would browse through months.
Alex
October 2nd, 2008
It seems like anti-spam filters can be just as big a headache as spam itself. It didn’t occur to me to check the marked-as-spam comment list too often, so sadly some of your feedback got eaten up. I recovered some of the more recent comments, and tweaked the site’s protection scheme. What a mess.
As always your feedback here and everywhere else is always taken as a token of appreciation, so thanks to everyone who posted :-)
Alex
September 28th, 2008
Howdy, it’s about time for an update. Here’s what I’ve been up to since last time:
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Upskyway
Upskyway is my main pet project now that Sqdef reached version 1.4 which is pretty close to final. It will be an all-fun arcade game in the spirit of SkyRoads, with a GP2X and WIZ release hopefully sometime this year.
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The GP2X Wiz
Gamepark Holdings were very kind to send me a Wiz prototype in order to port Sqdef over, which will be one of the handheld’s 12 built-in games. It is a very solid upgrade to the GP2X, and I look forward to writing more software for it in the future. The touchscreen and accurate control pad are especially nice.
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Squaresliding V
After the Wiz Sqdef port was all sorted out, I ported over another one of my GP2X games, Squaresliding. I finally got to try the touchscreen controls for myself (no F-200 here), and I noticed that the boxes were too small to be easily touched, especially while riding on a train which tends to move you every which way.
I decided to re-make it with the Wiz in mind, meaning larger boxes and a vertical orientation. Not having a battery bulge, the Wiz lends itself to portrait mode much better than the GP2X.
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Sqdef
I have a couple of fixes and optimizations for what will be Sqdef’s final release, version 1.5. But before I’ll make it public, I want to write a nice online manual that explains in detail all there is to know about the game. I learned a lot about game development while working on Sqdef, so I’d like to tie all the loose ends before finally saying goodbye to my dearest project yet.
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I can feel my eyes closing now. Time to get some sleep before going back to course work… and eventually, to more homebrew coding :-)
Alex
August 27th, 2008
After a lot of work, Sqdef 1.4 is finally ready for public release. A lot of new things in this version, list follows after the obligatory screenshots.
Download Sqdef 1.4 from archive.gp2x.de
-> new graphics
-> bridges on maps
-> improved balance
-> each building has a specific creature on which it does +50% damage
-> upgradeable Scythe, Trapper, and Colony
-> automatic turret upgrade after every 16 kills
-> two new research items, Ice Pick and Poof
-> option to sell all buildings of the same type at once
-> 60-waves are default, no more selection
-> Map Editor can load maps
-> a more informative upgrade window
-> smaller, faster save files
-> new map pack “New World”
Don’t forget to check the Sqdef page for more screenshots and extra map packs.
A big thank you to everyone who helped test and improve Sqdef, and to all who made a PayPal donation!
August 22nd, 2008
The programming and artwork are done. Now I’m working on the game balance, then it’s release time!
June 11th, 2008
Sqdef 1.4 will support maps with bridges! These are some designs I made to test this new feature, I look forward to what users will come up with on the editor :-)
PS: guess the colours :-)
May 26th, 2008
1.4 will likely be the final version, so it goes without saying that it will be loaded with all the nice things I can manage. I will post regular progress updates until its release, which is aimed sometime around July 9th - exactly one year after Sqdef 1.0 became publicly available along with all the GBAX 2007 entries.
May 23rd, 2008
Download link: Blix32
I actually released Blix32 last month, but didn’t want to mention it until the final version hit the GP32 archive.
I also added a GP32 Games page, because I intend to port some of my other GP2X games over, too. Squaresliding is next on the list, and hopefully others in the future too.
May 21st, 2008
Download link: Alex’s Falldown
It’s a rewrite of my older falldown game, Downfall. Here’s what’s new:
-> cpu set to 64MHz (uses mmuhack and ram timings), good news for the batteries
-> more bar colours, longer play time, bigger scores to be achieved
-> more polish everywhere
-> smaller file size
More GP2X news coming in the near future :-)
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